Our Cotswold tours

Half-day tours

Cotswolds

Minster Lovell, Burford, Filkins, Bibury, Windrush & Coln Valleys

Depart 1.45pm. Return 6.15pm

A 66-mile tour which shows the spectacular scenery just 30 minutes drive from Oxford. A chance to visit Minster Lovell, an enchanting stone and thatch village with its mystical Hall (25 minutes stop). We then follow the Windrush Valley to the elegant market town of Burford with its wide main street (40 minutes stop). The Cotswold Woollen Weavers at Filkins gives an insight into traditional cloth-making methods (25 minutes stop). Bibury, in its perfect setting, is our last stop. You will see the famous Arlington Row, a group of weavers' cottages, and Bibury’s clear trout-filled stream (25 minutes stop).

Full day tours

• Blenheim Palace and Cotswolds Combination
• North Cotswolds
• South Cotswolds
• Bath & Castle Combe
• Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle
• Stonehenge, Salisbury & Avebury

Combination: Blenheim Palace & Bladon + Cotswolds (Daily)

Depart 10.00am - 6.15pm.

Blenheim Palace was built for John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, during 1705-1722. The architect Sir John Vanbrugh was responsible for its baroque design. Sir Winston Churchill was born at Blenheim in 1874. Our tour will start at Bladon churchyard with a visit to Churchill’s grave. A short drive will take us to the village of Woodstock to visit Blenheim Palace. A guided tour of the palace will reveal its many treasures and you will have time to see the park, gardens and picturesque lake.

Free time for lunch in the village of Woodstock before 2.00pm pick-up for the Cotswolds afternoon tour.

Cotwolds - Minster Lovell, Burford, Filkins, Bibury, Windrush & Coln Valleys

Tour details for the Cotswold as half-day Cotswolds tour above.

(Tour price includes admission to Blenheim Palace)

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North Cotswolds

10.00am – 5.30pm (Tuesday & Saturday)

We travel via Burford to the village of Taynton. After a short walk to appreciate the peace and tranquillity we continue through the villages of Great Barrington, Little Barrington, Great Rissington to Bourton-on-the-Water (45 minutes stop). From here it is a short drive to Lower Slaughter (20 minutes stop) and Upper Slaughter. We then continue up the Windrush Valley passing through Naunton and up to Snowshill. Dropping down into the valley we make our lunch stop in Chipping Campden, the most beautiful of all the market towns, you will have time to explore after lunch (1.5 hours stop). Driving to Broadway (25 minutes stop), we move on to visit Stanton and Stanway, two scenic villages. Our return to Oxford takes us via Stow-on-the-Wold (45 minutes stop), Chipping Norton and Woodstock.

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South Cotswolds

10.00am – 6.20pm (Weekdays – for private hire only) Price on application.

This tour is no less enchanting than the North Cotswolds tour with its subtly different landscape. Our first stop (20 minutes) is the impressive Great Coxwell Tithe Barn. From here we cross the River Thames at Lechlade and then stop to admire the unique medieval stained-glass windows in the church at Fairford (25 minutes stop). We continue to Cirencester, an important town in Roman times (45 minutes stop). Exploring the beautiful Duntisbourne Valley, we stop for lunch at a historic pub.

In the afternoon the tour moves to the beautiful scenery of the Golden Valleys near Stroud with their steep hillsides. Highlights include Minchinhampton, Coaley Peak and Painswick with its legendary churchyard. The return to Oxford will take us over some of the highest points in the Cotswolds.

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Bath & Castle Combe

10.00am – 6.20pm (Wednesday & Saturday)

Our journey to Bath takes us through the picturesque Southern Cotswolds via Burford, Bibury, Cirencester and Tetbury (2 hours journey). On arriving in Bath at the ‘top of the town’, we will provide a driving tour around this beautiful Georgian city. The tour will pass the Royal Crescent (20 minutes stop), the magnificent Circus, Queen’s Square and the Abbey. After lunch you can choose to visit the Roman Baths Museum and then explore Bath’s paved passages and narrow streets (total time 3 hours 30 minutes in Bath). On leaving Bath, we drive to the quaint, unspoilt village of Castle Combe (40 minutes stop) before our return to Oxford.

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Stratford-Upon-Avon & Warwick Castle

10.00am – 6.15pm (Monday & Friday)

On leaving Oxford we follow the scenic route to Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare’s hometown. Starting at the Holy Trinity Church where he was baptised and buried (25 minutes stop), we take you on a drive through the town to the Shakespeare Birthplace Museum. At this point you have free time to explore the town and have lunch. At 2.00pm we leave the town and make photo stops at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Mary Arden’s House in the village of Wilmcote.

From here it is a short drive to Warwick Castle, the finest medieval castle in England. You can explore the state apartments, dungeon, the Mound, towers, ramparts and impressive gardens. Don’t miss Kingmaker – A preparation for battle, an exciting attraction with its life-size models recreating the sights and sounds of medieval times, also see the Trebuchet, a medieval siege catapult in action. (2 hours 15 minutes at the castle).

(Includes admission to Warwick Castle but none of the Shakespearian properties)

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Stonehenge, Salisbury & Avebury

10.00am – 6.20pm (Thursday & Sunday)

We travel over the beautiful Berkshire and Wiltshire Downs past the hill fort of Old Sarum, site of one of Britain’s oldest settlements to the city of Salisbury. Nearby at Salisbury Cathedral you can see an original copy of the Magna Carta and admire the tallest spire in Britain (2 hours, 20 minutes in Salisbury).

After lunch we travel up the Avon valley to Stonehenge, the most mysterious and enigmatic of all monuments (55 minutes stop). Moving deeper into Ancient Britain, we pass a chalk hill figure and the West Kennet Long Barrow, a burial chamber dating back 5,500 years. The tour continues to Avebury, Britain’s largest stone circle (40 minutes stop), before the return to Oxford via the Vale of the White Horse.

(Includes admissions to Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral)

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